Shoulder pad



May 23, 1950 R. G. MACK 2,509,159

SHOULDER PAD Filed July 5, 1946 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS H. l 5 v fiche/Z G.Mac/5f (a MMrQM.

Patented May 23, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHOULDER PAD Robert G.Mack, Buffalo, N. Y., assignor to Hewitt-Robins Incorporated, Buffalo,N. Y.

Application July 3, 1946, Serial No. 681,359

(Class 2-268) Claims. 1

This invention relates to the apparel art an more particularly toshoulder pads and articles of manufacture having similar physicalrequirements.

In the clothing art, shoulder pads comprise more or less yieldablebodies of tapering concavoconvex shape, generally cloth covered andadapted to be disposed between the shoulders of a wearer and theshoulder portion of a garment, whereby the appearance of a squarershoulder is provided. In the prior art, such devices generally comprisean inner core of felted or matted tex tile fibres, sometimes built up bythe use of a series of lamin'ations, encased in a fabric cover which issewed about the edges of the core to completely cover the same. Themanufacture of these prior art devices involves a considerable degree oflabor and at best the ultimate shape of the shoulder pad thus formed isdifiicult to control and only semi-permanent. Shifting of the inner coreof material within the casing or jacket sewed thereabout is likely withresultant distortion of the device.

The present invention provides a shoulder pad which meets all of therequirements of the art and is vastly superior to prior art devices,both from the standpoint of simplicity of manufacture and in theproduction of a product of superior quality from the standpoint, oforiginal accuracy as to shape and the ability to permanently retain itsshape.

The shoulder pad of the present invention comprises essentially aunitary body or core element of sponge rubber having fabric adhesivelysecured to at least one of its faces, thus eliminating all sewing. Thesponge rubber core may be of either natural or synthetic latex and isaerated or foamed in any desired manner. Other natural or syntheticmaterials having similar physical characteristics may be employed. Suchcharacteristics are great resilience and highly permanent. retention ofshape or conformation. That is, while highly resilient, the core body ofthe present invention always returns to its initial free position whenunstressed.

In carrying out the present invention, the core, because of practicalconsiderations entering into the manufacture thereof. is molded with aflat face and an opposed convex face tapering generally to a point,there being a third face at the end opposite the point. The core of thebody is held in a permanent concave or convex position by adhesivelyapplying a strip of flexible material to the fiat side while such sideis held in a concave position. Upon setting or dryin the adhesive strippermanently holds the core body in the desired concave or convexposition.

As has been stated, devices ofthe prior art have been provided withcloth coverings. Such coverings generally extend beyond the meetingedges of the concave and convex surfaces oftlie shoulder pad to providea free fabric margin which may be sewed or otherwise attached to-theinterior surface of the shoulder portion of a garment in properposition. Similar means of attachment or securement are provided in thecase of the present invention, along with the provision of a clothcovering for the core element itself, by merely adhesively securing afabric sheet to each of the concave and convex surfaces; such sheets, orat least one of them, being adapted to extend beyond the meeting edgesof the concave and convex surfaces to provide fabric margins for sewingor other means of fastening with any desired degree of permanence.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 designates a top plan view of a core body in the condition inwhich it is molded;

Fig. 2 is an end view of such body;

Fig. 3 is a front end elevational view of a complete shoulder pad of thepresent invention, said front elevation being with respect to theposition of the wearer;

Fig. is a side elevational view of the shoulder pad of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the shoulder pad of Figs. 3 and 4 with aportion of the fabric covering broken away for added clearness.

In Fig. 1 the numeral l0 designates generally a core or body molded ofsponge or foam rubber or other material having similar physicalcharacteristics, such body having a convex upper sur- -face H, a flatunder surface l2 and an end surface l3. The tapering nature of the upperconvex surface causes the body to merge to substantially a point as at Min Fig.1 at the end opposite the surface I3, although such pointedtermination is not essential. However, the knifeedge or feather-edgemerging of the upper and lower surfaces H and I2 at all points,excepting where the end surface l3 intervenes, is highly desirable andcannot be achieved with matted or felted cores or in any other mannerheretofore known in this art. The molding processes employed in theformation of the sponge rubber core in naturally produce such edgeswithout any special provision, merely by suitable formation of the moldcavity.

After core ID has been produced in the form indicated in Figs. 1 and 2,it is deformed so that its upper surface H is more sharply convex andits originally fiat under surface [2 is concaved and while held in suchposition in any desired manner, a strip of preferably flexible materialis adhesively secured to the now concave under surface 12 which in andof itself permanently holds core H1 in the form illustrated in Figs. 3,4, and 5, which is the desired final shape of the shoulder pad.Ordinarily surgical adhesive tape is satisfactory for purpose and thestrip of tape is designated [5 in Figs. 3 and '5.

After the core has been formed in the foregoing manner a piece of fabricI1 is secured against convex upper surface I I by means of any suitableadhesive and is brought down over end surface 13 as shown in Fig. 3 toultimately project beyond the lower edge of core l0 entirely about itslower edge. Similarly, a piece of fabric [8 is adhesively securedagainst the under surface of core 10 likewise to extend substantiallybeyond the edge defining the convex under surface. Themarginalprojections of pieces of fabric H and I8 are jointly designated23 in Figs. 3, 4, and -5 and may be adhesively secured to each othersimultaneously with their application to core in. These marginalextensions automatically provide convenient means for sewing theshoulder zpad into a garment or otherwise securing it with any degree-ofpermanence, such .as by vmeans of snap fasteners, hooks and eyes or thelike.

.It is a peculiarity of the normal processes of molding core that theouter surface of the core has substantially less porosity than theinterior of the molded body, and this facilitates ready securement ofthe adhesive strip l5 and the fabric pieces I! and I 8 tothe core HI.

What is claimed is:

1. A shoulder pad comprising a molded body .of sponge rubber having anormally flat surface and an opposite normally convex surface, and astrip of material adhesively secured to said normally flat surface toretain the same in concaved condition.

2. A shoulder pad comprising a molded body of resilient material havinga normally flat surface and an opposite normally convex surface, and astrip of material adhesively secured to said normally flat surface toretain the same in concaved condition.

3. A shoulder pad comprising a molded body of sponge rubber having anormally flat surface and an opposite normally convex surface, a stripof material adhesively secured to said normally --ilat surface to retainthe same in concaved condition, and a fabric sheet adhesively securedagainst one of said surfaces and projecting beyond the edge thereof toprovide a securing portion.

'4. A shoulder pad comprising a molded body of resilient material havinga normally flat surface and an opposite normally convex surface, a stripof material adhesively secured to said normally flat surface to retainthe same in concaved condition, and a fabric sheet adhesively securedagainst one of said surfaces and projecting beyond the edge thereof toprovide a securing portion.

5. A shoulder pad comprising a molded body of sponge rubber having anormally flat surface and an opposite normally convex surface, a stripof material adhesively secured to said normally fiat surface to retainthe same in concaved condition, and a flexible sheet adhesively securedagainst one of said surfaces and projecting beyond the edge thereof toprovide a securing portion.

6. A shoulder pad comprising a molded body of resilient material havinga normally fiat surface and an opposite normally convex surface, a stripof material adhesively secured to said normally flat surface to retainthe same in concaved condition, and a flexible sheet adhesively securedagainst one of said surfaces and projecting beyond the edge thereof toprovide a securing portion.

caved condition.

8. A shoulder pad comprising a resilient integral body having a normallyconvex upper surface and a strip of non-resilient material adhesivelysecured to the lower surface adjacent the transverse edge thereof toretain said lower surface in cancaved condition for engagement with theshoulder of a wearer.

9..A shoulder pad comprising a resilient, integral body having anormally convex upper surface and a strip of nonresilient materialadesively secured to the lower surface thereof to retain said lowersurface in concaved condition for engagement with the shoulder of awearer.

10. A shoulder pad comprising a resilient, integral body having anormally convex upper surface tapering from the base of said pad to theedges thereof and a strip of non-resilient material adhesively securedto the lower surface of said body to retain said lower surface inconcaved condition for engagement with the shoulder of a wearer.

ROBERT G. MACK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 359,441 Goldman Mar. 15,1887621,811 Goldman Mar. 28, 1899 622,765 Goldman Apr. 11, 1899 2,068,644Frais Jan. 26, 1937 2,365,280 Lahm Dec. 19, 1944 2,423,498 Hull July 8,1947

